One Late Night
by Isabella Raven
Summary: It starts with a late night on the net, and a chance encounter in a chat room. Where it leads is a mansion in Westchester New York that shouldn't exist... in this universe.
1. A Late Night on the Net

Disclaimer: None of the X-Men are mine, much as I may wish they were at times. 

~~~ ~~~ 

I sat in front of my computer, listening to Metallica. Dressed in a black tank top and black jeans, with combat boots. Not my usual attire, but I had been very restless the past few days. I yawned, and stared. My computer screen was blank, no one was on-line tonight. 

I growled. "Damn it!" I turned up the volume on my music, and grabbed an oreo from the package sitting on top of my computer. 

The screen blinked at me. Someone was in the chat room. 

LadyRimaRegen: Hel-lo! Who's there?   
RedeyedDemonchild: 'Ello. 

I grinned. This could be fun. 

LadyRimaRegen: So, where are you?   
RedeyedDemonchild: New York.   
LadyRimaRegen: Where in New York?   
RedeyedDemonchild: Near NYC.   
LadyRimaRegen: Ever role-play?   
RedeyedDemonchild: Non.   
LadyRimaRegen: then I'll have to teach you how. =)   
RedeyedDemonchild: OK.   
LadyRimaRegen: Oh, have you ever read any of the X-Men comics? Or seen the movies?   
RedeyedDemonchild: No' exactly.   
LadyRimaRegen: Tsk, tsk. Poor baby. I like doing X-Men RPG's.   
RedeyedDemonchild: RPG's?   
LadyRimaRegen: Role Play Games. I so wish it were more than just a game, though. It would be so cool to meet the X-Men, especially Gambit. He has the most gorgeous eyes, and that accent of his. Mrouw!   
RedeyedDemonchild: Que? What would you do if you could meet them? 

I frowned at my computer screen. What was this person trying? 

LadyRima Regen: What do you mean?   
RedeyedDemonchild: Jus' curious. What would you do if you could meet the X-Men.   
LadyRimaRegen: I don't know. I guess I never will, since they don't exist in this universe. Pity. Why do you ask, anyway?   
RedeyedDemonchild: I used to wish something similar. That this wasn't the only reality.   
LadyRimaRegen: It's not. Anything written, if it's believed enough, or the writer has a strong enough imagination, creates another universe, another reality. Have you ever read Heinlein?   
RedeyedDemonchild: Non.   
LadyRimaRegen: Ooh. Na' goo'. Well, Heinlein had this "world as myth" theory that says esensially what I did earlier, that writers can create alternate realities. And of course the multiverse.   
RedeyedDemonchild: Interesting.   
LadyRimaRegen: I've always wondered what would happen if two realities collided. Become one reality. And I've been trying to find a way to get between realities. Haven't found it yet. Who knows. I will find it eventually, though. 

I stared. What the hell was going on? I never had told this to anyone except my family and very close friends. Now here I was, spilling it out to a complete stranger. Was I out of my mind? 

RedeyedDemonchild: Maybe, cher. I'd like to see it when you do.   
LadyRimaRegen: Oh? Would you?   
RedeyedDemonchild: Sorry, cher. Didn't mean to upset you.   
LadyRimaRegen: Don' worry about it. 'Sall right.   
RedeyedDemonchild: If you say so, cher.   
LadyRimaRegen: You are a flirt, you know that?   
RedeyedDemonchild: An' if I am?   
LadyRimaRegen: I don't know.   
RedeyedDemonchild: What yo' name, cher?   
LadyRimaRegen: Kianetri.   
RedeyedDemonchild: Lovely name, cher. Not half so beautiful as you, cher.   
LadyRimaRegen: I'm not beautiful.   
RedeyedDemonchild: Remy t'ink yo are.   
LadyRimaRegen: ((OOC. Are you sure you've never read the X-Men comics? Oh, and ooc means out of character.)) Flatterer.   
RedeyedDemonchild: ((OOC. Oh. Remy never need to read X-Men comics for that description. His eyes like that.)) 

I was sure my eyes were going to come out of my head, or my jaw was going to come unhinged. I just wasn't sure which would happen first. He couldn't be. I shook my head. Not possible. Then I grinned. If this was real, I was going to be the envy of my friends. 

LadyRimaRegen: ((OOC. Just to ask a quick question. Why did you come into this chat room?))   
RedeyedDemonchild: ((OOC. 'Cause Remy know Rima. I t'ought yo' was 'er.))   
LadyRimaRegen: Not exactly. I created her for my RPG's. And a fanfic. Oh, and so that I can be certain you really do know what you're talking about, and haven't just read my fanfic, how old is Rima?   
RedeyedDemonchild: Remy don' know.   
LadyRimaRegen: Not this life.   
RedeyedDemonchild: Old as Memory. She is memory, Remy know. She made Chuck forget her phone number, something about never letting him talk her into helping another pig-headed male again, especially him.   
LadyRimaRegen: She did? Finally. I was wondering when she'd do that. You really are who you said you are.   
RedeyedDemonchild has left... 

I growled. "No you didn't!" The computer screen belied my statement. "Damn you! Get back in here!" The screen remained mockingly blank. I slammed a fist into the keyboard, leaving a stream of characters across the screen. "No! Damn him! Just as I was getting into the conversation, too." I disconnected from the net, and shut the computer off. This was just a bad day. 


	2. Am I Hallucinating?

I had woke up like a usual day, grouchy about the early hour. In my usual room, in my house, sprawled across my bed, taking up a majority of the queen-sized expanse. How was I supposed to know that something had changed in the bloody world. It never had anything this drastic happen to it before, not that I can recall. And not since. 

I went out, got in my car. I had to get to classes that started at nine. It was eight. Good luck to me. I was driving along when I noticed it. Just something out of the corner of my eye. A reflection, a hallucination, I don't know. All I do know is that I made a rather spectacular dent in my car. Or rather, the idiot on the motorcycle made a dent in my car. 

I pulled over to the side of the road, and went over to see if the person was all right. And if I hadn't been in too bloody much pain to be asleep or dead, I could have sworn I'd either died and gone to paradise, or was dreaming. And I didn't want to wake up if it was a dream. A real, live X-Man in front of me. 

I have to bring myself back to reality here. An X-man who'd nicely dented my car, and scared me down to my bones. X-Man or not, he was going to have to answer for that. But I can look for now, can't I? Black hair, tall, movie-verse style Logan. I don't see how he could have crashed into me, a big white Cadillac DeVille. A normal moron, perhaps, but Logan, the one with heightened senses? Not at that intersection. He would see me coming a mile away! 

He stirred, and I stepped back. I didn't want in range of those claws until I knew he wasn't going to use them. He was groggy, and dazed. How the hell did that happen? I shrugged, not really worried about it. He'd be fine, with that healing factor of his. He lookd up at me, and his eyes narrowed. 

"You should watch where you're goin', darlin'." 

I snorted. "Look who's talking. You crashed into me, not vice versa. And for your information, I do watch where I'm going. And anyway, how do you miss seeing a large white caddie like mine? And then hit it?" 

"You weren't in the intersection when I went." 

"You were there when I went. Though not before. You came out of nowhere. What the hell were you thinking?" 

He stood up. "You weren't there." 

"I was. And I didn't see you anywhere on the road. And now I'm going to be late for class. I probably won't make it to my first class, not now. Not to mention, putting this in the shop. I don't have that kind of money! Oh, and I'd like to find out how many of my ribs you cracked with that stunt. I HURT! And for you to put that kind of dent in my car, you could not have stopped at that intersection, which you were suppossed to do, probably not even contemplating stopping! You are acting like the common MORON that populates these flipping roads in greater numbers than I care to contemplate." 

Logan blinked. "Do you ever stop for breath, darlin'?" 

I raised an eyebrow, highly unamused. "Don't try to distarct me. I don't like being crashed into by a motorcycle, that's being driven by someone who suppossedly has heightened senses, and should have seen me coming! I don't care how good looking you are, or how interesting you may in the bloody movie, or frelling comics, you do not get to get away with badly denting my car, and at least bruising my ribs, possibly cracking them. No!" I was breathing hard, quite pissed off. 

Logan stared. "What movie? What comics?" 

I closed my eyes, slowing my breathing, trying to calm down. When I opened them, he was gone. So was the bike, and the dent in my car. My ribs still hurt, and I knew that it hadn't been a dream. So what in Lady's name was going on? First the incident in the chat room Friday night, now this. 

I shook my head. I had to have been hallucinating. I got back in my car, and drove home. I called my teachers, and told them I wouldn't be in class today, I had fallen ill, and had a doctor's appointment. I was not in the mood to face anybody today, not after what had happened. 


	3. An Antique Store in NYC

I stepped into a tiny store in NYC, out on a rare shopping trip into the city. I don't go into the city often if I can help it, I don't like being in among so many people. Just not good for my sanity, you know? This store was so cool! All sorts of little things, old things. And I had just found a section of old books. Heaven! 

I'd found this store while driving around, I don't remember where I was, but this shop was tucked away in between old apartment buildings, and run-down houses. Snakes, Wolves, and Firebirds. Strange name for a shop, must be why there weren't a lot of people in there. I have to come here more often. 

A woman came up, asking if I needed help. Well, this makes the third time in less then two weeks I could swear I'd encountered one of the X-Men. Let me tell you what the woman looked like. Tall, red hair, would grace the cover of any fasion magazine, and put any other model to shame. Oh, and brilliant green eyes that are hard to miss. 

"Just looking." I was looking, for any other X-Men. And anyway, what was she doing here? Working? I thought she was a doctor. 

She smiled at me, as if she knew that wasn't quite the truth. You know, a lie by ommission? I really should have remembered she's a telepath! And my mental shields are at an all time low. I never mentioned I am an empath, did I? Doesn't matter. I can't help it, I have got to ask. 

"I was wondering, you look like someone who I've seen. What's your name?" 

"Jean Grey. Why?" 

As if she didn't know why! I was thinking it loud enough, I'm sure, that it could be heard on the friggin' moon! I don't know whether I'm hallucinating, or something wierder is going on. Or if I was just loosing it. 

"Thanks." I went back to looking at the books. Ooh! 1789 publishing date! I have got to get this one. Sweet Goddessa, I have died and gone to paradise. A book from 1665, in absolutely beautiful condition. How the heck did they get this! And if I'm not mistaken, that's an original cover. Ain' no way! 

Hiss spit growl hiss! My credit card is going to scream at me. Over five hundred dollors! And that's cheap! These people are wonderful, but they know their stuff better than the people I normally get my old books from. 

Up at the checkout counter, I nearly choke. I cannot believe this! Him again. Logan, the one who went and crashed into my large, white car, and then dissapeared, along with the dent. But not the bruises. He was going to pay for those. 

"Do you speak haggle here?" As in do they argue price with a customer. You knew that? Sorry. 

He nodded, looking rather grumpy. Was it the crash, the vanishing act I know he would have thought my car had done, or something else? I noticed a woman behind him, black scales, slitted gold-green eyes. Holy! I don't think I'm going to haggle price after all. I know who she is. Sava, or Snake. Bloody four thousand year old, grouchy, violent, unpredictable woman. And related to Logan. 

"Never mind. I'll just pay with credit card." I wanted out of there! And tomorrow, I'm going to go looking and see if Xavier's mansion and the school there are real. These incidents are starting to get to me. Am I just going quietly insane here? Or is something else going on, which I'm not sure I want to contemplate. I mean, it would be cool if the X-men and mutants and all that existed here, but they aren't supposed to be in our universe. They have their own! 

I went home, called in sick to work. I work evenings over at this shop near where I live. I have to get some sleep tonight, because I want to get this search done in time to go to my evening class over at the local collage. Tomorrow is going to be interesting. 


	4. One Morning's Drive

I sat at the traffic light, looking at the map. I had bought the thing yesterday, wanting a new, up-to-date map of the area. I looked up at the street sign, and sighed. At least another mile to go before the turn. And three more stoplights that didn't seem to know when to turn green. 

It finally turned, and I roared ahead of the car to my right, a little sports car with acceleration like shit. I grinned, as the road narrowed to one lane, and the sports car was forced to come in behind me. Not that he wouldn't have run up the shoulder, I'm sure, except there wasn't a shoulder to run up. I fiddled with the stereo, not used to the area, and found a station to my liking. 

I nodded at my speakers began blaring out Metcllica, S&M, if I wasn't wrong. "Master of puppetz, pulling the strings, yeah.." I sang along with it, knowing the lyrics by heart. I looked up again, and slammed on the brakes. The light had turned yellow, then red, just before the point of know return in this damned car, where I would have had to go on across, despite the light. 

I growled, pissed, and turned up the volume on the stereo, waiting for the light to change. When it did, I shoved the accelerator to the floor, getting up to 60 in a matter of seconds. Don't ask me how many, I forget. But anyway. The next light was red. 

"LOKI!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. The damned Norse godling was trying to make my life hell! Every blinkin' light from here to home had been red. Most of them turning red as I came up to them. was going to kill that little upstart prick if I got my hands on his immortal hide! 

The next light was better, green, and I made the left hand turn on the road, looking at the sign to make sure I had the right street. I followed it, being mindful of the speed limit for once, and saw something I hadn't expected to see. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. 

"Miet!" A startled squeak came from my throat. It couldn't be! Could it? I grinned, and decided to find out. I drove up to the gates, studying the security system. The gate opened for me, and I frowned. Should it have done that? Or were they expecting me? Or what? 

I shrugged, and drove up the driveway, admiring the mansion as it came into view. No gawking, not for me. That isn't my style. I parked the car, getting out. This was so cool! I went up to the door, and it opened to reveal the woman who I'd seen the day before at the store. Jean, not the scaly woman. 

"Can I help you?" 

"Yeah. This Xavier's school?" 

"Yes." 

I grinned to myself. "Can I come in?" I didn't want to stand out here on the porch, however nice it might be. Not in the middle of blinking November! 

She blushed, and stood aside, ushering me in. It was nice and warm inside, my toes had been starting to feel like little ice-cubes out there. I followed her into an office, where a bald man sat behind a desk. Xavier, of course. I grinned again, this time outside. "Hey, Chuck." 

He looked startled, and slightly annoyed. "Please, don't call me that." 

I chuckled. "Whatever, cue ball." I was going to have fun! And I had thought they only existed in comics, and my imagination! OK, and many other people's imagination. 

Hey, it only took me thirty seconds to get tossed out of his office, after they told me why I was here. I was not amused, to say the least, and made that abundently clear. He was less then amused with my choice of language. Apparently they don't approve of any curse words, especially my favorites. 

I followed Jean upstairs, where they had a room ready for me. Even had a real computer, a Mac. I'm sorry to PC fans, but I kill those things, and fast. Macs are the only computers with the ability to resist my magnetic personality. I took the zips out of the pocket in my leather jacket, and sat down in front of it, turning the thing on. 

Grinning evily, I got on the net, and found my favorite web site. It existed here too. I got an account, and logged on, uploading a number of stories, and sat back, waiting to see what would happen. 

~~~ ~~~ 

Author's Note: If you want more of the adventures, you're going to have to review... and also wait. I have classes, so things might not get up as fast as I like. 


End file.
